Larger cars are more likely to cause deaths in crashes than smaller ones, as they weigh more and have tall front ends that can trap victims beneath them. Analysis has found drivers in the tallest cars could not see children as old as nine when they were directly in front of the vehicle.
SUVs also produce more toxic particles from tyres due to their heavier weight.
So, why aren’t EVs being taxed more?
UK local authorities are taking some measures. Cardiff has consulted with the public on a weight-based threshold for parking charges, while Lambeth in London is working with two other authorities on similar plans, and Bristol and Bath are also working on plans to discourage SUV use. In Edinburgh, the council has restricted advertising for SUVs.
Because people are morons, obvs.
I have fitted spikes to the front of my little hatchback, because I was envious of the death rates caused by my neighbours’ SUVs. They sneer when I tell them in the pub how few 6 year olds I have killed so far this year.
Larger cars are more likely to prevent deaths to their drivers and passengers in crashes than smaller ones.
FTFY
“Cardiff has consulted with the public on a weight-based threshold for parking charges…”
How? Dig up all the car parks to install weighing machines?
“… a weight-based threshold for parking charges…”
EV’s will of course be exempt, you watch.
“How? Dig up all the car parks to install weighing machines?”
No, you’d have a camera reading all the number plates at the entrance (which many do now anyway) which is connected to the DVLA which will tell you what make and model of car it is and thus what it weighs, and how much it should be charged per hour on exit.
Peter M, probably not exempt, a lower rate perhaps.
As with Vehicle Excise Duty, government won’t give up the opportunity to tax something that easily.
Next thing you know people with big cars will say “If I have to pay more at least give me parking space that are wide enough.” People are so-and-sos like that.
Or just park sideways across two spaces.
No, you’d have a camera reading all the number plates at the entrance (which many do now anyway) which is connected to the DVLA which will tell you what make and model of car it is and thus what it weighs, and how much it should be charged per hour on exit.
Our local council (Wycombe) had a great system whereby you could register your vehicle details and they’d clock you in and out of their car parks and send an itemised bill at the end of the month. No searching for a working ticket machine in the rain, no pondering about whether you need a 30 minute or 60 minute ticket. It worked for about a year, and they then withdrew it, muttering something about data protection, which made no sense to me.
“So, why aren’t EVs being taxed more?“
Good question. I’ve a vague recollection of hearing that they recently raised the weight limit for normal Class B licences because some EVs were nudging into C1 territory with a full load.
Government regulations drive people into larger vehicles. Creating problems. Government solution: cut the regulations.
Ha ha ha ha! Just joking.
They will ADD MORE REGULATIONS to deal with the problems their regulations caused, and the new regulations will cause more new problems requiring even more regulations.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” no politician EVER said.
Chris:
I suspect the reason for the withdrawal was that too many people were somehow cheating. False address, not actually from the council area, etc.
What measures were taken to prevent cars which they didn’t have accurate details on file from being parked in their car parks?
The same as would be the case when there was not pay-on-account system?
What measures were taken to prevent cars which they didn’t have accurate details on file from being parked in their car parks?
Don’t the car parks have entrance barriers?
Or just park sideways across two spaces.
Some people park so badly they may as well we’ll park sideways.
But if we’re going to have to pay extra, why not park in comfort and get more for the money!
Sam: That surprised me so I checked. So the bastards have increased the weight limit to 4250kg for electric and hybrid vehicles but it’s still 3500kg for petrol & diesel vehicles. Since the limit is for safety reasons, why isn’t it the same for all types? Yet more net-zero illogicality.
Electric cars typically weigh 10-20% more than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. Tricky.
I would question how a ‘tall front end’ traps people beneath it?
The normal concern for tall front ends is that they block the view close in to the front – and really that only applies to trucks and children.
High ground clearance could trap you underneath – but that has nothing to do with how tall the grill is.
@Tractor Gent
If I was a vehicle manufacturer in the “Transit pickup” type business, I think I’d be looking very hard at seeing if I could make a very mild hybrid with minimal extra weight, and pocket most of the extra 750kg as payload.
A flatbed transit will comfortably carry about 2.5-3 tons, it’s only the stupid tax class business that holds them back to ~1500kg legal payload. Anything the manufacturer can do to win more legal payload would be very popular with most users.
Higher ground clearance is kind of popular because we’re getting older and because the suburban roads are now mostly inferred by looking at the ever reducing space between potholes and traffic calming measures.
Perplexity, xe say: Various safety regulations and standards, especially those concerning pedestrian impact, have changed how bonnets are engineered. To improve crash safety, designers now incorporate energy-absorbing features and additional space between the bonnet and hard engine components; this has led to squarer, more vertically oriented designs. However, while these measures can reduce the severity of head injuries in collisions, higher bonnets also mean bigger blind spots, with tests showing drivers can fail to see smaller people—including children—as a result.
Tradeoffs, eh?
Thanks, TG. I thought I’d read it somewhere. Didn’t know it was only for EVs. The sneaky gets.
” Various safety regulations and standards, especially those concerning pedestrian impact, have changed how bonnets are engineered.”
The art is not in surviving accidents; the art is in avoiding them.